5th Jan 2013, 17:28

If you buy a used car, you save a large sum of money over new. That said, there are risks, mainly not knowing how the previous owner cared for it. Best to fairly pay an independent mechanic to check it over completely; his cost will reward you in the long run

2004 Pontiac Grand Am V6 from North America

Summary:

It's a good car, overall

Faults:

The clips on the power windows are made of plastic, and continue to break. The plastic is just not durable enough. The clips should be made of metal, and be mechanically attached with screws to the bottom of the window.

General Comments:

I feel that General Motors should have a recall on this, and fix this problem immediately.

18th Feb 2013, 03:43

19th Feb 2013, 16:05

I owned a 2001 Grand Am until trading it in 2009. It was a great car and I never had a single problem. I was aware of the fragile plastic window clips and handled the issue by advising my passengers not to slam the doors. I never had any issues with them.

General Comments:

Poor seating ergonomics for my husband (He's 6 ft 5/250 lbs), but I had no problems.

It's roomy enough for a family plus car seats, yet sporty enough for a new teenage driver. Great car!

The way you drive this car has a huge impact on its reliability. I base this on the huge number of problems people have had with the Grand Am. I like to take it easy, and hardly ever have to go over 2500RPM.

I bought it this year, and have put 86,000 miles on it. I was expecting it to fall apart like my old car (Ford Probe), but it didn't. This car has been such a great ride!

In summary, I find the 2004 Grand Am to be a fun and practical choice in vehicle. It has great styling, it has very reasonable power, and nice ergonomics. It is a very easy car to live with. It does what you ask of it readily, and with enthusiasm.